Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Wade has no regrets
Former Heat star says he’s happy with Bulls
CHICAGO — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear in advance of Friday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center that he wasn’t going to become part of the opposition’s three-ring circus that has had Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo as the prime protagonists.
The Bulls are bickering. But Spoelstra’s perspective is that they’re still well ahead of the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings, positioned for a playoff berth.
“I have no thoughts about that,” Spoelstra said. “Welcome to the NBA. That’s around every team. What I see is a team that’s in the eight spot right now. They have a very talented team. They have two players generating over 60 percent of their offense, one of them we know very well. That guy’s a killer.”
The reference was to Wade, who left the Heat for the Bulls as a free agent in July. What Wade stepped into was a locker room that has raised questions about his leadership and perseverance.
In the wake of Wade publicly questioning teammates’ effort after a home loss Wednesday night to the Atlanta Hawks, Rondo posted Thursday on Instagram: “My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They
didn’t take days off.”
Rondo’s “my vets” reference included a photo of former Boston Celtics teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Wade responded to Rondo at the Bulls’ shootaround Friday morning.
“My vets did different things too,” said Wade, who won championships with the Heat alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Wade, of course, has limited his minutes this season with the Bulls, just as he did in recent years with the Heat, as a means of preserving his body for the playoffs.
“I could take that as a personal attack,” he told reporters at the Bulls’ practice facility. “But what’s that going to do for me? Come in and fight Rajon because he said his vets practiced every day? I’m 35. I’m not practicing every day. That’s very clear. Everyone has their own things . ...
“They were very successful with what they did in Boston. I took it as a human being expressing himself and feeling he wanted to say something regarding the young guys on the team, and he felt it was portrayed different. And that’s his leadership.
“That’s his way of leading. Just like my way of leading is my way of leading when I come out here and I smile and say all these positive things. And when I come in and say I’m pissed off, that’s my way of leading at that time. It’s not always what people want to hear or a popular thing.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Wade, Butler and Rondo all had been fined, with no suspensions issued.
Wade was asked if he had perhaps erred in signing with the Bulls.
“Every step you take in life is a part of your story,” he said. “I’ve had years in Miami where it’s been debacles, whether it’s in the locker room or on the basketball floor.
“I’ve said it from Day One: I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to play here. Do I want more out of my team? Of course. I’d be a fool not to. Even the best teams in the league want more out of their team. But from a standpoint of us losing ballgames, this coverage right now, I’ve had this in Miami. I’ve had this before.”
Wade said he viewed these contretemps as an exception to his tenure with the Bulls as he holds a player option with them for next season.
“I wouldn’t change my decision at all this summer to come here,” he said. “Since I’ve come here, I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve been happy.
“It’s the process of losing ballgames is never fun. For no one, no matter where you live. You can be in the sun, you can be in the cold, it’s never fun losing ballgames at home. I’m not having fun being an average team from that standpoint.
“But I am enjoying the journey, enjoying this process. Like I said, this is another chapter to the book.”
To Spoelstra, Wade still very much makes the Bulls a playoff factor.
“They have 19 All-Star appearances on that team,” Spoelstra said. “They have something we would love to be in right now, that’s that eight spot.”